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Friday, 24 January 2014

I'm always looking for something/somewhere new to try, almost like a hidden gem... And in the last few days I think we may have hit the jackpot.

Down the road from me, a new proper ice cream bar has opened - Swirls. Most bizarrely, it shares it's premises with a convenience store, making it slightly harder to find.....They seem to be the next big thing and I can definitely see why... You can't go wrong with 30 odd flavour of ice cream all waiting for you to try and the use of WiFi.... (I'm thinking it's the perfect place to hide out when you have a ton of work!!)

The ice cream itself was to die for and there are genuinely more flavours than you could imagine -Amaretto, Mince Pie and even the more obscure Hello Kitty - apparently its a mix of white chocolate and strawberry with edible wafer pictures. And the portions were huge, by huge I mean "way bigger than you could ever imagine" (check out my photos to see the true extent!) .

The best bit is no one seems to know about it, so it's always quiet. And the staff don't look to fazed if you just so happen to turn up twice in 24 hours, which would never occasionally may well happen.

So if you are in the area, and fancy something different, or simply need to go out somewhere that isn't the library this is definitely the place to be!

Disclaimer - Any views within this post are my own. I was not paid for this post, I simply want to share my find!

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Welcome all, to the one post a week where I rant and generally get some grievances off my chest. The story of where this all comes from can be read here, just remember these are my own views entirely and that you are more than welcome to disagree... why not drop me a comment below and let me know what you think?

Today I'm talking about labels. Everyone in society is exposed to such a wide variety of people... And I can guarantee that every single of these people have been judged and given a label.
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Who are we to judge the people that we come into contact with as we go about our lives? We shouldn't be and yet we still are. Yes, sometimes the label might genuinely describe the person, but there is a major difference between the description of the label and the connotations that go with it. Children need to be brought up to see past the exterior of a person and if they still want to label to use labels that aren't so degrading and hurtful to others.

The worse thing is, the judgement only comes when most people only use the negative labels when they don't understand. Don't understand the Muslim Religion , must be a terrorist. Don't understand how someone believes in a higher being, must be a bible basher. Isn't interested in relationships, must be gay.

We all need to stop. We are all exactly the same. No-one is that different.

Normally I'd like to think of myself as a rather organised person; balancing university, work and the blog, but this week it all seemed to go downhill. The work that I thought I'd get done for Tuesday, wasn't done until Thursday night (which was cutting it a little bit close to the deadline for my liking!) And the blog posts I dreamt of writing from Tuesday onwards just seemed to disappear.

I promise though, from here on in I'm going to be way more organised with not just my time, but everything. First step is to clean my room, which I've done. And yes, it will stay clean this time.

Wednesday, 8 January 2014

I'm one of those people who has to justify spending money - regardless of what the money is for - and although generally this is a good thing, it means that I have to seriously think about whether it's worth me buying anything.... You can read my tips here!

I figured that this week I'd do something out of the ordinary and be spontaneous with money. I did

Photo borrowed from the Boots Website.

something that I've always wanted to do. Buy false nails. I know it sounds really silly and inconsequential but I've never been able to do it because of my weekend job in a kitchen - health and hygiene and all that.

I wanted to go for something different, something that couldn't just be achieved with nail varnish and that weren't too much like talons for my first go. And so I bought these: Ted Baker Faked to Perfection in Rose Gold There should be a photo somewhere over there >> (On a slightly different note, the packaging is beautiful!)

Being completely new to the whole idea it took me a while to work out what sizes I needed on each nail, and then how much glue I needed to make them properly stick - I was worried about nails pinging off at the most inconvenient of times... - but by the end of the first hand, I had it under control.

And I must admit, they are beautiful. In my eyes they're the perfect balance of girly with a different twist. I'm not normally a fan on bronze but these tips look brilliant!

I was a little worried about them peeling off and all that jazz, but so far, they've survived a little bit of washing up... (Just a tiny bit, I haven't had much to do...) and they've survived a proper hair wash - I had visions of hair getting caught under the nail and it then peeling off - but they haven't! And I'm so chuffed!!!

The only downside so far, the price. £8.00. That's a lot. Especially for me, the student. There are definitely cheaper out there, which maybe I'll go out and try at some point.

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

I've always been the person with opinions - fairly strong ones at that... - and so my great grandad always told me that if I had the chance, I'd definitely set the world to right if I had half the chance... So this is my little place to have my opinions - feel free to agree, disagree or not remotely care... It'd be lovely to hear what you think, so pleaseee comment below!

Today I'm spouting off on 'debating' body image and the effect of the media.... There's a few things that have brought these issue into my world: firstly an open letter to Now Magazine written by the wonderful Pols (check it out: here!) & the UrbanOutfitters scandal with the 'eat less' and 'depression' t-shirts.

In my mind, Now magazine (along with the rest of the media) are so wrong to enforce the idea that being beautiful means that you need to have a tiny body and this is not true. There are many different shapes, sizes and styles, all of which are beautiful in their own right. Why is it society feels the need to tell women especially, that if they do not conform to a certain idea that they are not beautiful?

I know that times are beginning to change and that the idea of plus-size models is being made more real, both in the world of runway models and shop store models, but to me even this label is wrong. They aren't 'plus size', they're just real people.....

The UrbanOutfitters t-shirts to me are wrong. They just stand to ridicule and take away the from the difficulties that those who suffer from anorexia and depression. These people need help from qualified professionals, not the world making their problems seem like a joke. In a way, I'm glad that the t-shirts have caused uproar as at least it has raised awareness for those often silent conditions that are mental health but there are better ways to raise the profile! The best thing is Hollywood stars, those who live in the world of beauty, have the same mindset as me. Sophia Bush, known for One. Tree Hill and John Tucker Must Die is calling for a complete boycott of the brand....

What do you think? Agree with me? Or can you see the other side? Tweet me, or comment below :)

Monday, 6 January 2014

Question:How many bags does it take for a student to pack so that can go home after Christmas?

Answer: Apparently, a hell of a lot! (Enough to fill the boot and back seat of my ka....)

I am one who is known for my hate extreme dislike of packing, regardless of whether I am going somewhere that I want... (Unless the weathers like it is now, and someone want to pay for me to go to a tropical island?) and so the idea of once again packing everything up again for this term at university kind of filled me with dread. To the left is everything that I figure I may need for when I'm not at home. (The worse part is I go commute home every weekend for work so it's not even like I'm properly moving out - sorry Mum & Dad, you're stuck with me!)

I may well have not enjoyed packing but it was amazing to be reunited with my flatmates (including face timing the only one who hadn't made it back tonight). We're like one big family; complete with laughing, winding each other up and the occasional cursing. Most of us haven't seen each other in weeks but we all fall back into our routines and find that we pick up where we left off.

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

So this is it, the beginning of a new year, 2014, and a chance to make a change for the future. I'll admit, I'm not the one who's normally any good at sticking with my resolution. So this year, I'm going to try and do something a little different. I'm going to find things I was to achieve this year and have my New Years resolution is to achieve this! (Figured this would be better than the 'get healthy'/'give up chocolate' - because realistically neither of these are going to happen...)

Give blood - This is something I keep meaning to do but never seem to get round to doing... This year I will give blood and help someone, even if I don't particularly like needles.

Run the Cancer Research Race for Life - I will run this. Not walk or jog. But run. To achieve this I'm going to have to attempt to train because right this second I don't have the stamina for this. At all.

Go to Britmums 2014 (and benefit from it) - I'm absolutely dying to go and meet brands and other bloggers who I read and occasionally chat to, in the flesh. It can't come quick enough.

Do something adventurous and outside my comfort zone - Last year, I was lucky to have the chance to go on a Segway and it was such good fun that I immediately wanted to go again. This year I want to same feeling with a different experience... (Suggestions welcome!)

Watch the sunset up Spinnaker Tower - I have already been up the tower but it has been decided that me and my flatmates haven't done enough of the local attractions - even though we have lived here a year and a half.

Try and find a new look - I read so many other blogs with fashion advice and I'm going to try and find something new that possibly works for me - watch this space.

(Following on from the last one) have my hair cut short and keep it that way for a while - I have loved having longer hair but it's time for a change. New year, new hair!

Blog regularly and link up! - I get sidetracked really easily so managing to blog regularly is a challenge. Determined to sort this. And remember when the various linkies are. I will get more organised.

Learn something new - Nothing wrong with being a fountain of knowledge...

Manage to bake cookies that don't disintegrate at the slightest touch/would do damage to anyone who dared try eat them - I can bake cake and cupcakes with no problems at all. Biscuits and cookies, on the other hand, never ever work. (Anyone want to send me recipes that work? Bonus points if it's gluten free...)

See another WestEnd Show - Yes, another one.

Take more photos - They say a picture is a thousand words and this year I'm determined to document and the things I do, be it stupid, adventurous, or just an ordinary day. So that this time next year I can look back and remember it all!

So this is it. 12 challenges over 12 months. Here's to bringing in 2015 with all of the challenges completed!

About Me

Spends my life travelling between home and work on the Hampshire/Surrey border and my other home in Portsmouth for University. Happiest when I'm spending time with my family, my university 'family' & friends.
Tweet me on Twitter: @Drurykat
Drop me an email: Gingersnapblogger@gmail.com